Lineup Announced For 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

NBA All-Star Weekend is approaching fast and while the starters for the game itself on Saturday have already been revealed, we are yet to find out who will be participating in the events on All-Star Saturday Night. The highlight of Saturday's events, and for many people - the entire weekend, is the Slam Dunk Contest. In the past, we've seen some incredible performances from players like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkens, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter, just to name a few but in recent years, the contest has lost a lot of its prestige as marquee players tend to opt-out rather than join in on the festivities.

The last great dunk contests were when Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon both made a name for themselves in back-to-back years, and one of the four men participating in this year's contest will be looking to do the same. Lavine beat out Victor Oladipo, Mason Plumlee, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2015 contest, before returning the following year and putting on the greatest 1-on-1 battle in Slam Dunk Contest history when he and Gordon were trading 50s like baseball cards.

The Slam Dunk Contest hasn't looked anything like that in recent years, but here's hoping that one of this year's contestants will bring us back to the glory days of All-Star Weekend.

This year's participants are: Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony, Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, Golden State Warriors guard Juan Toscano-Anderson, and New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin.

All four contestants have thrown down some nasty dunks this season, and despite the lack of name-brand recognition, this is one of the better fields in years. The favourites going in are probably Toppin and Green based on what we've seen them do in games, but all four of these men are worthy of being invited to All-Star Weekend.

Here are some highlights from all four contestants: